WOCAT defines SLM as the use of land resources, including soils, water,
animals and plants, for the production of goods to meet changing human
needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential
of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions.
The main objective of SLM is to promote
human coexistence with nature with a long-term perspective so that the
provisioning, regulating, cultural, and supporting services of ecosystems
are ensured. SLM is an essential prerequisite to sustainable
development; progress should be made simultaneously at all levels.
SLM provides flexible, adaptable solutions in a world of fast-changing
natural conditions (e.g. climate change and variability, extreme weather
events), social conditions (e.g. migration, feminization of agriculture), and
economic conditions (e.g. changing markets).Global and local development challenges demand that land users innovate
and find ways of managing their land sustainably, staying resilient in the face
of change and maintaining or improving their livelihoods and living conditions.
Within SLM,
WOCAT focuses mainly on efforts to prevent and reduce land degradation
through Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) technologies and their
implementation approaches. The use and sharing of information related to
these efforts is a key asset of WOCAT. Training enhances capacities for
better SWC implementation. This leads to improved knowledge management.
The aim of WOCAT, as a network, is to increase the awareness and
motivation of planners and decision-makers as well as land users and
agricultural advisors. WOCAT hopes to reduce investment failures by
providing knowledge support concerning the advantages and disadvantages
of available alternatives, based on a wide range of experience in the
field.
The extent and effectiveness of SLM/ SWC today, be it
within a given region or at a worldwide scale, is not known.
There is, therefore, a pressing need to assess these issues, not least
in view of the heavy investments being made in this sector. By providing
the appropriate tools and networks required for conducting such an
assessment, WOCAT can play an important role in this domain.
